16th INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM OCTOBER 21-25, 2019 PROGRAM MONDAY October 21th, 2019 18:00 – 22:00 Icebreaker TUESDAY October 22nd, 2019 SHUTTLES START AT 6:45 AM 7:00 – 8:30 Breakfast Buffet 8:30 – 9:00 Opening Ceremonies 9:00 – 10:00 Keynote Address - Ian Craig, Northern Rangelands Trust 10:00 – 10:30 Break Field Conservation – Community Programs 10:30 – 10:50 Project Orange Elephant: An economic solution for human-elephant coexistence Ravi Corea 10:50 – 11:10 A holistic and sustainable conservation approach to a peaceful cohabitation of people and desert-adapted elephants in Namibia Rachel Harris and Christin Winter 11:10 – 11:30 Are elephants Gods or Devils? Understanding people's perceptions of elephants in Northern Odisha Medha Nayak 11:30 – 11:50 Assessing the effects of a cognition-based education program on attitudes of villagers towards Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in conflict-prone areas Radhika N. Makecha 11:50 – 12:10 African ecosystems on the edge: What can be the strategies for living together? Mário Pereira 12:10 – 12:30 A crowd-sourced approach to monitoring Asian elephants in a human dominated landscape Tarsh Thekaekara 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus and Research 13:30 – 13:50 Introduction to elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) and global EEHV resources. Lauren Howard, Nadine Lamberski 13:50 – 14:10 Current knowledge of EEHV in African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) Erin Latimer 14:10 – 14:30 Building capacity for tackling elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus at an African level Edgar Simulundu 14:30 – 14:50 Serological detection of EEHV infections by a Luciferase Immunoprecipitation System assay Paul Ling 14:50 – 15:10 Recommended EEHV monitoring in Asian and African elephants Erin Latimer 15:10 – 15:30 Break Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus and Research (cont.) 15:30 – 15:50 Treatment of EEHV hemorrhagic disease Lauren Howard 15:50 – 16:10 Fatal elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 3 infection in two captive African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) Melissa Fayette 16:10 – 16:30 Preparing for EEHV: The survival of Indali Hi-Way Rebecca Le Brocq 16:30 – 16:50 EEHV capacity-building in Asia Erin Latimer 16:50 – 17:10 Efficacy of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) fresh frozen plasma Chatchote Thitaram 17:10 – 17:30 Acute phase proteins as indicators of the elephant immune response to infectious disease Katie L. Edwards 18:00 – 22:00 Dinner WEDNESDAY October 23th, 2019 SHUTTLES START AT 6:45 AM 7:00 – 8:30 Breakfast Buffet Field Conservation – Population Management 8:30 - 8:50 Revisiting the population size of the largest sub-population of the Borneo elephant Cheryl Cheah Phaik Imm 8:50 – 9:10 Debunking critical assumptions to improve forest elephant census and monitoring Amelia Meier 9:10 – 9:30 Pathways back to Zambia: re-establishing elephant migration routes through transboundary conservation Kerryn Carter 9:30 – 9:50 Vasectomy of free ranging African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) as a conservation management tool Kari Morfeld Field Conservation – Human Elephant Conflict Mitigation 9:50 – 10:10 Transdisciplinary mitigation approaches to South African human-elephant conflict Audrey Delsink 10:10 - 10:30 Break Field Conservation – Human Elephant Conflict Mitigation (cont.) 10:30 – 10:50 New methods utilized to deter African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) from crop raiding in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya R. Lynn Von Hagen 10:50 – 11:10 Patterns of human-elephant conflict inferred from field observations of Asian elephants in Sri Lanka's national parks Chase LaDue 11:10 – 11:30 Trialing a new scent-based repellent to mitigate elephant crop-raiding around Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda Maz Robertson 11:30 – 11:50 Living with elephants: Herds of the Karbi Foothills Rituraj Phukan 11:50 – 12:10 A crime science approach to human-elephant conflict in Murchison Falls National Park Joanna Hill 12:10 – 12:30 Management of a conflict elephant in Rajaji Tiger Reserve release vs. rehabilitation Aditi Sharma 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Field Conservation – Nutrition 13:30 – 13:50 Non-invasive assessment of body conditions and stress hormone levels in African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) roaming in Fynbos vegetation Elisabetta Carlin 13:50 – 14:10 Exploring how mineral provision acts as a driver for African elephant movement (Loxodonta africana), and considering how this could be used to reduce human-elephant conflict (HEC) Fiona Sach 14:10 – 14:30 Glycemic response of semi-free ranging African elephants to seasonal and provisioned diets Beaux Berkeley Field Conservation – Elephant Protection 14:30 – 14:50 Elephant habitat connectivity: corridors, gates and underpasses. elephant conservation and conflict mitigation within the Mount Kenya, Laikipia and Samburu elephant ranges Enoch Ochieng 14:50 – 15:10 Recovery of Murchison Falls programme Mike Keigwin 15:10 – 15:30 Break Field Conservation – Elephant Protection (cont.) 15:30 – 15:50 Specialized units – selection, training and effectiveness Nikita Iyengar 15:50 – 16:10 Experiences from establishing anti-poaching canine units across Africa Jay Crafter 16:10 – 16:30 Malicious poisoning of elephant within the Zimbabwean component of the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) Jessica Dawson Field Conservation – Elephant Monitoring 16:30 – 16:50 An assessment of using remote camera traps for Asian elephant research Chandima Fernando 16:50 – 17:10 Collaring elephants: how they can be utilized for HEC mitigation and research Jaco Mattheus Field Conservation – Citizen Science 17:10 – 17:30 Voluntourism’s place in conservation Taryn Ingram-Gillson 17:30 – 17:50 Initiating a voluntourism program as a sustainable economic initiative to help mitigate human elephant conflicts Ravi Corea 18:00 – 22:00 Dinner Thursday October 24th, 2019 SHUTTLES START AT 6:45 AM 7:00 – 8:30 Breakfast Buffet THREE CONCURRENT SESSIONS SESSION 1 Emerging Technologies 8:30 - 8:50 How cancer in elephants can inform treatment approaches for humans and elephants Lisa M. Abegglen 8:50 – 9:10 Molecular characterization of TP53 gene diversity in three distinct elephant populations in Kenya and evaluation of its implications in cancer resistance. Samuel Oliech Omolo Reproduction 9:10 – 9:30 Post-natal oogenesis in the elephant: A realistic possibility Twink Allen 9:30 – 9:50 Understanding prolactin regulation and determining the efficacy of cabergoline and domperidone to mitigate prolactin-associated ovarian cycle problems in zoo African elephants (Loxodonta africana) Tina L. Dow, Ph.D. 9:50 – 10:10 Variations in the circannual rhythm of musth variables in captive Asian elephants T. Rajeev 10:10 – 10:30 Break Reproduction (cont.) 10:30 - 10:50 Sperm motility, kinematics, morphometry and morphology of free-ranging African elephants over two seasons Ilse Luther-Binoir 10:50 – 11:10 Hyperactivation as a sperm functional test in African elephant bulls Liana Maree 11:10 – 11:30 Diagnostic imaging in elephant medicine – from eye to kidney Imke Lüders Behavior 11:30 – 11:50 What does the elephant brain tell us about elephant behaviour? Paul Manger 11:50 – 12:10 Acts big but squeaks like a mouse: Production of Asian elephant high-frequency vocalizations Veronika C. Beeck 12:10– 12:30 Vocal flexibility in elephants Angela S. Stoeger 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Behavior (cont.) 13:30 – 13:50 Sex differences in the play of ex situ African elephant calves (Loxodonta africana) Robert Dale Elephant Welfare 13:50 – 14:10 Management factors affecting adrenal glucocorticoid activity of tourist camp elephants in Thailand and implication for elephant welfare Pakkanut Bansiddhi 14:10 – 14:30 A study on musth management and enrichment utilization of rescued captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Elephant Conservation & Care Center, Uttar Pradesh, India Baiju Raj 14:30 – 14:50 The elephant in the room: Integrating behaviour to assess captive elephant welfare Lisa Yon 14:50 – 15:10 Captive elephant research: towards a brighter future for African elephants in captive environments Clare Padfield 15:10 – 15:30 Break ON YOUR OWN TO ENJOY ZEBULA GOLF ESTATE AND SPA SESSION 2 9:00 am – 17:00 pm Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) Workshop By Invitation Only SESSION 3 9:00 am – 17:00 pm The Role of Captive Elephant Management in southern Africa: The way forward By Invitation Only 18:00 – 22:00 Dinner Friday October 25th, 2019 SHUTTLES START AT 6:45 AM 7:00 – 8:30 Breakfast Buffet Veterinary Management 8:30 - 8:50 Ecological epidemiology to optimize policy interventions for tuberculosis control in captive elephants David Abraham 8:50 – 9:10 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex infection in free-ranging African elephants – novel diagnostic approaches Michele Miller 9:10 – 9:30 General anesthesia in captive Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) using combination of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride and etorphine hydrochloride in Thailand Nithidol Buranapim 9:30 – 9:50 Immobilization and transport of free-ranging African elephants Peter Buss 9:50 – 10:10 Establishment of a first specialized elephant hospital in India Yaduraj Khadpekar 10:10 – 10:30 Break Veterinary Management (cont.) 10:30 – 10:50 Treatment of lightning strike in an Asian elephant Supaphen Sripiboon 10:50 – 11:10 An emerging threat for Sri Lankan elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) and management of jaw-bomb victims VPMK Abeywardana Captive Elephant Management 11:10 – 11:30 Animal Care & Welfare Index: A protocol combining ethical reasoning and scientific assessment for the welfare of captive elephants in South Africa Greg Vogt 11:30 – 12:30 Developing standards for management and welfare of elephants in human care in Zimbabwe: ZECA (Panel discussion) Jake Rendle-Worthington, Chris Foggin, Lisa Yon, Sean Hensman 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 13:30 – 13:50 Asian Elephant Support Linda Reifschneider Closing Remarks/Closing Ceremonies 13:50 – 14:30 Working together for elephant conservation Sarah Conley, Sean Hensman, Deborah Olson 15:00 Shuttles leave for Johannesburg Airport .